Kurdistan rules out withdrawal from Iraqi govt, disagreement between KDP and PUK

Ninanews 11.3.2013 – ERBIL-Hewlêr : –  An informed source revealed a “difference in views” between the KDP and the PUK on the withdrawal from the federal government.

The independent Kurdish TV channel (NRT) quoted the Kurdish source on Sunday, as saying that “the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by President of Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani called for the withdrawal from the federal government, but the Patriot Union of Kurdistan, led by Jalal Talabani rejected the call.”

The source explained that “The withdrawal of the Kurdish ministers from the federal government will not help and will have a negative impact.” The Kurdistan Alliance ruled out taking a decision to withdraw from the federal government, stressing that the Kurds’ Ministers have returned to Baghdad to exercise their business after the meeting, which was held in Erbil. ” MP, Hassan Jihad, of the Kurdistan Alliance said in a press statement on Sunday, March 10, that: “The decision to withdraw from the government is not an easy decision,” noting that “the region is consulting to discuss the move, which will take, about passing the federal budget without the approval of the Kurds.”

He added: “The Kurdistan region is not satisfied with the way of adoption the budget law in the House of Representatives,” stressing that “the Kurds will not leave Baghdad, and they will stay involved in the political process effectively more than ever before.”

He pointed out that: “Kurds’ Ministers and MPs have returned to Baghdad after they met with the President of Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani.”

Iraqi Kurdish MP Muhsin al-Saadoun on Friday, pointed that Kurdistan region will export its oil without handing over its revenues to the Iraqi federal government, for adopting the general budget without allocations of oil companies’ fees. The National Alliance, on the other side, threatened that these amounts will be deducted from the Kurdish region’s local budget allocated in the federal one. The Iraqi parliament passed the country’s 2013 budget on Thursday despite a boycott by Kurdish blocs and some of Iraqiya MPs in protest at the amount allotted to pay oil companies operating in the autonomous north, lawmakers said. The Presidency of the Kurdistan region called on, in a statement after the meeting, to consult widely to fruit the situation to protect the democratic system in Iraq.